


Summer Heat In Spring

by Bass_Line



Series: Getting Over You [1]
Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Also please don't go injuring people for whatever reason, Clear communication is very important regardless of the circumstances, F/F, It just doesn't go into that detail, It sorta revolves around homophobia and coming out, Note that the story doesn't mean that a happy ending's guaranteed, OC simply there for the plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 06:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18823186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bass_Line/pseuds/Bass_Line
Summary: First loves are hard to get over, but once you do, the next love burns like summer heat in August.





	Summer Heat In Spring

**Author's Note:**

> The former title for this was actually 'Autumn Leaf In Spring'... but after I did a check last minute, I found out that August is actually in summer... Since summer is usually associated with how hot it is, I decided to use that instead of leaves (which I assume is what people first think of about autumn). Also, spring started on 20 March 2019 (Sayo's and Hina's birthday, so yay!), hence why spring is still mentioned.  
> (That being said, I'm really sorry for the horrible summary.)  
> (Also thanks to the anon for informing me about the pairing issue, I didn't realise that I forgot to add the pairings in.)

_'Wait, you like me?! As in, romantically?! Get away from me! Gross!' Lisa was pushed away by a girl with brown hair, who just so happened to be her crush. Lisa stood there dejectedly, she knew that her love won't ever bear fruit but the rejection stung nonetheless. Even long after that girl had ran away from her in disgust, Lisa could only stay rooted to where she was, silently shedding tears for someone who would never love her back._

_"I shouldn't have said anything... that way we could still be friends..." Lisa sobbed to herself, desperately wiping her tears away with the back of her hand even though she knew that there was no one left in the classroom. Before she could pick up her bag and leave the classroom, a faint buzzing sounds could be heard but Lisa couldn't locate the exact source of the noise. The buzzing grew louder and louder until..._

"Gah!" Lisa threw herself up from her bed, surveying her surroundings. The buzzing sound that she had heard was from her alarm clock, and Lisa sighed in relief that it wasn't anything weird... or Yukina messaging her to hurry up. She switched off the alarm clock and got off her bed (as warm as it was), heading towards the bathroom to brush her teeth. Thankfully there wasn't anyone in the house with her in the mornings, if not she would have probably taken longer to get ready. Ten minutes later, Lisa left the house, her best friend waiting for her outside. "Yukina! Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"Lisa. Normally I would say yes, but for the past three days you've been leaving the house 15 minutes later. Is there something bothering you?" Yukina asked, her golden eyes slanting in two narrow slits. Lisa dismissed her worries with a breezy chuckle, opting to walk to school with idle chatter instead of telling her best friend what had caused her to be later than usual. Unfortunately for her, Yukina was having none of it. "Lisa, what's wrong?"

"Nothing? Ah, I guess I was stuck on that bit on our new song... but I think I'm gonna perfect it soon!" Lisa replied, giving Yukina a peace sign.  _'No way am I telling her about Emi...'_

"... Lisa, don't underestimate me. You stopped playing at around 1.15 am, and it sounded as though you have perfected your mistakes." Lisa gulped, cursing her luck to be neighbours with Yukina. Not that she  _actually_ hated living next to Yukina... just that it made lying to Yukina harder. "We're best friends are we not? Surely you could depend on me from time to time."

"That sounded straight out from a shoujo manga Yukina~" Lisa grinned, accidentally bumping against someone's shoulder. She was about to apologise, but upon seeing who she had bumped into, her words caught in her throat. The girl was stunned for a brief moment, her expression soon turning into a scowl as she stormed past Lisa. Yukina, who had witnessed the brief exchange, did some connections and realised what had caused Lisa to wake up later than usual. "Ahh... Yukina, let's get going~"

"... Lisa, that was your first love wasn't it?" Lisa froze, unable to look Yukina in the eye. Somehow, Yukina verbalising what was that girl to Lisa made it all the more painful even though it had been a year since then. Upon seeing Lisa flinch, Yukina's eyes softened, feeling a twinge of guilt for dredging up painful memories for Lisa. "... Sorry. You don't have to attend practice later though."

"What was it that you said to us then? 'Don't bring personal matters into Roselia'? Yeah, that's it."

"Lisa..." Yukina knew that Lisa was going to force herself to attend practice despite being upset over the rejection, and while Lisa knew better to be emotional during practice... "Lisa, I may turn a blind eye to your performance later, but you know that Sayo won't right?"

"Don't worry Yukina~ I'll be as right as rain later!"

* * *

"Imai-san! This is the third time you've made a mistake on the same verse! If you're not here to perform your absolute best, then go home!" Lisa winced, she reassured Yukina that she wouldn't screw up and yet there she was, getting scolded by Sayo all because she couldn't focus. How Sayo managed to separate her inferiority complex from band practice was a mystery to Lisa. Yukina offered her best friend a pitying glance, well aware what was plaguing Lisa's thoughts. Ako and Rinko remained silent, though it was obvious that they sympathised with the bassist. "Minato-san, why haven't you said a thing about her sloppy performance today?!"

"... Lisa, how many times have I said to not let personal problems affect practice?" Yukina asked, her tone clearly filled with concern instead of the usual stern one Roselia was used to. Yukina sighed, while she wanted to let Lisa continue practicing the bass since it served as a distraction... "Let's take a break. Lisa, I trust that your performance would improve after some ice cream?"

"Yukina, are you finally treating me to ice cream? That's so sweet of you, pun unintended~" Lisa grinned, with Yukina almost pushing her out of the studio and towards the cafe. Once they were outside, Yukina let out a sigh of relief. "... Sorry Yukina, you had to cover for me there."

"I won't say that I told you this would happen, but you should go home. Sayo doesn't know about that bitch, and I don't think she would care even if she did."

"Yukina, don't call Emi that! Besides, she's in your class!"

"... Fine, slut then."

"Yukina!"

"Alright, fine. She's not worth grieving over though." Yukina scoffed, the mere mention of Lisa's first love made her blood boil, which was unfortunate considering that they were in the same class. Lisa sighed, ever since Yukina had found out about Emi... well, it was terrible to say the least. She knew that she shouldn't be so affected by a girl that could never return her feelings, yet she couldn't help but allow the past to haunt her... "Lisa, stop thinking about her."

"I'm not? Anyways, I don't think I should go home... Sayo might kill me or something." Lisa remarked, chuckling at the mention of the guitarist's name. Yukina raised an eyebrow upon hearing the chuckle from Lisa, surprised to see that the bassist was able to laugh at her impending figurative death. "Oh yeah Yukina, so you know how I told you that I'll ask about Sayo's hobbies one day?"

"I did, how did it go?"

"So apparently she's like you! Not the cat-loving part though, we all know she's a dog fan. Anyways! I asked her whether she has considered using make-up, and she replied by saying that she's okay with herself as long as she doesn't look unsightly. I was so in awe with her confidence that I just stood there in silence for like, ten minutes tops!" This time, Yukina raised both eyebrows. She wasn't sure if she should be glad that Lisa's thoughts were now on Sayo instead of Emi, or surprised to see that Lisa could get so excited when talking about Sayo. "Oh and I heard from Rinko that she practices guitar during her free time-"

"Imai-san, instead of talking about me, you could use this time to practice." Lisa flinched, behind them was Sayo, who was glaring at the obvious lack of productivity. Yukina groaned, wondering how she could help Lisa without going against Roselia's values. She opted to inch away from the them, hoping that she could make a quick escape to purchase some coffee. "I honestly don't think you should be here, your heart isn't with Roselia."

"H-Hey! I know I'm lagging behind, but I swear that I'm devoted to Roselia!" Lisa retorted, despite agreeing with Sayo that her mind just wasn't ready to practice that day. Sayo's emerald eyes widened, surprised to hear such words from Lisa.

"Imai-san, I meant that you're not fully... in it today. I didn't mean to say that you're usually not. Forgive my vague phrasing." Lisa blinked once. Then twice. Then she broke out in unrestrained laughter that scared Sayo greatly. "I-Imai-san! Have you gone mad?!"

"Nah, it's nothing~ You know what, maybe I should stop for today. I don't really wanna drag you guys down." Lisa agreed, heading back into the studio to keep her bass away. Once she was done, she left the studio and and was making her way in the direction of her house when Yukina stopped her. "Yukina? Something up?"

"... Feel better." Was all Yukina said before she went back to sipping her coffee, allowing Lisa to pass. Lisa didn't know what that meant, but she was determined to go home and practice the bass at her own pace.

_'Okay Lisa, no more Emi. You owe Yukina this at least.'_

* * *

"Yukina, I have something to tell you." It had been four months since that practice session, and ever since then Lisa had not once thought about Emi or her rejection. Which was good... if only a certain someone didn't occupy her thoughts instead of Emi. Lisa was at their usual restaurant with Yukina, who was now concerned about the bombshell that her best friend was about to drop. "... Promise you won't yell at me?"

"Lisa, no matter the decision, I would support you. Although, I hope it's  _not_  about you deciding to leave Roselia. That would be terrible for us."

"What?! No Yukina, why would I leave Roselia?! T-That's not it anyways!"

"That bitch started to harass you again?"

"Yukina, for the last time, don't call Emi that!"

"Okay fine, sl-"

"Or that!"

"... Fine. That  _homophobe_  has decided to renew harassing you." Lisa groaned, if there was one thing she hated about Yukina, it was the fact that she was  _very_ stubborn. "No? I was positive that she targeted you ever since Yamato-san came out..."

"No, she's n- Wait, Maya came out?! When was this?!"

"Yesterday. I punched her after she jeered at Yamato-san and Hina threw a table at her. Surprisingly we both didn't get detention." Yukina replied as though she didn't just admit that she had assaulted someone. Lisa shook her head, memories of Emi's rejection slowly starting to come back to her. "Lisa, stop. Don't ever think about her words that day. She's not worth it."

"It's okay, I think I'm over it. Maybe. Anyways, no. That's not what I wanted to tell you." Lisa sucked in a breath, desperately hoping her best friend wouldn't shun her for what she was about to say. "I think I'm gay..."

"Lisa, we've attended the Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade together this year. We both know that you're gay."

"... for Sayo."

"Oh." Yukina was stunned, but not surprised. She had an inkling that Lisa harboured a crush towards the serious girl, but for Lisa to verbalise it out... well, it made that inkling something bigger than what she thought it was. "Well, I had a feeling that was the case."

"You did?! Wait, was I that obvious?!" Lisa was taken aback herself, she was positive that she wasn't obvious about it when it came to her and Sayo. Hell, she only figured it out a week ago after Moca had asked if she liked Sayo! If that was the case... "Y-Yukina, was I  _really_ that obvious?"

"Uh..." Yukina thought back to all the times Lisa had chose to talk about Sayo, and that one occasion when Sayo agreed to accompany Lisa to the music store since the latter wanted advice about bass strings. Along with those occasions was Lisa inviting Sayo to the cinema and even to a dog cafe, something which Yukina was fairly sure that those were considered dates. Still... "I uh... maybe not?"

"Okay, that's good. Sayo can't  _ever_  know about my tiny crush on her, she'll hate me when she finds out." Lisa heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that it wasn't obvious. While part of her wanted to confess to Sayo, Lisa knew that she'll get herself rejected horribly on the sole basis that it would be detrimental to Roselia. That, and Sayo didn't strike to Lisa as part of the LGBT spectrum. "Yukina, you won't tell Sayo right?"

"..." Yukina took a sip of her coffee, considering Lisa's request. On one hand, she was tempted to persuade Lisa to confess to Sayo so that Lisa's performance wouldn't be affected due to bottling up her feelings. On the other hand... Yukina knew that should Lisa got herself rejected, both Lisa and Sayo wouldn't be able to perform properly as Roselia. Also, she didn't want to see Lisa getting herself rejected a second time, just hearing about Emi's rejection was painful for Yukina to even remember. "... Alright, I won't tell her. It's never my place anyways."

"Thanks Yukina. Though... it would be nice if I knew where Sayo stood on this..." Lisa murmured, hoping that she could one day stand beside Sayo as her girlfriend and not just a fellow band member.  _'Why does my second crush have to be someone as strait-laced as Sayo? Not that I don't admire that about her...'_

"... You could always ask." Yukina suggested, resulting in a firm rejection from Lisa. "I didn't say it has to be from Sayo herself though. It could be... oh I don't know, someone who knows her best?"

"Yukina, I'm not asking  _her_  about Sayo. That's a terrible idea from you Yukina."

* * *

"Lisachi! You wanted to talk to me after school?" Hina grinned, waiting for Lisa to come back from the teacher's office due to breaking the school rules (again). Lisa sheepishly chuckled as she entered their classroom again, with Yukina hiding near their classroom should things go south. "Anyways, what is it?"

"Well uh... It's... It's about Sayo." Lisa managed to force out, which earnt herself worried looks from Hina.  _'Ah, Hina thinks that Sayo did something bad.'_

"Onee-chan? What did she do?!"

"N-Nothing! It's uh... how should I put it?" Lisa was racking her head for a way to smoothly ask Hina if one, Sayo was a supporter of LGBT (or at least gay) rights and two, whether she liked girls. It was cut short by Hina, who placed both hands on her shoulders. "Uh Hina...?"

"Lisachi, just ask me. Whatever it is, I'll answer." Hina replied, probably starting to get impatient with Lisa's hemming and hawing. Lisa nodded, resolving herself to simply ask the question no matter how bluntly she would phrase it. "There we go! So, what about onee-chan?"

"How does Sayo feel towards gay relationships?" Hina blinked, indicating to Lisa that she wasn't expecting such a question. Yukina rolled her eyes, wondering how did her confident best friend ended up as a stuttering mess solely because of Sayo. Lisa gulped, the lack of reaction from Hina made her increasingly nervous.  _'Oh god, I blew it. Now Hina thinks I'm creepy and she'll go back to tell Sayo that I'm gay and Roselia would be screwed! Why did I choose to listen to Yukina's idea?!'_

"... Why?" Hina asked, her eyes narrowing into somewhat angry slits. If Lisa could describe it, it almost seemed as though Hina was trying to figure out if Lisa had any ill intent towards her twin sister. "Why the question?"

"... I uh... kinda might have said something about that topic and Sayo wasn't pleased?" It was such an obvious lie and Lisa knew it, but she was desperate to not let Hina figure out that she was gay.  _'Wait, why am I hiding my sexuality from Hina?! It's Hina, she's not the type to discriminate against gay people right? Plus I think Yukina said that she threw a table at Emi? Oh god how is it that they didn't get detention or something worse?'_

"Onee-chan's okay with them." Hina replied coldly, scaring Lisa greatly. She had seen Hina getting mad before, but for her to adopt a cold tone? Definitely not. "Is that all Lisachi?"

"O-One more question." Lisa was scared, not because of Sayo's sexuality but because Hina looked like she was about to murder her any second. Hina still looked angry, and it wasn't the kind that Lisa or Yukina was used to from Sayo (or when Hina's complaining about whether to top cheese on hamburger steaks). Hina simply glared at Lisa, and Lisa increasingly felt that she was attending a trial with  _her_  as the suspect. "I-Is Sayo open to dating girls?"

"..." Hina said nothing, crossing her legs as she continued to sit on a table. All of a sudden, she banged one of her fists on the table as she got off, towering over Lisa despite the latter being two centimetres taller. Outside of the classroom, Yukina was debating whether she should intervene in their conversation, but judging from how calm Lisa was (trying really), Yukina decided to continue to hide outside and watch the scene unfold. "... What if I said that she wasn't? Does it matter?"

"N-Not really..." Lisa fumbled out a response that could hopefully please Hina, inwardly crying that she got herself rejected by Sayo's twin sister. For a brief second, it was pure silence with Hina still towering over Lisa.  _'Oh god, Hina sure is protective of Sayo... and I got myself rejected. Here I thought Emi's rejection was painful enough...'_

"Hmm... Welp, I suppose that's all?" Hina asked, no longer towering over Lisa as to what she was doing three seconds ago. Lisa nodded, immediately grabbing her bag and was about to exit the classroom when Hina called out to her. "Hey Lisachi!"

"Y-Yeah?" Truth to be told, Lisa was now frightened of Hina given the amount of intimidation and she just wanted to cry into her pillow for getting rejected. Hina looked apologetic though, which was a surprise given her reaction when Lisa asked her not one, but two personal questions about Sayo.

"Good luck."

* * *

"What did Hina mean by 'good luck'? Is she gonna tell Sayo about me?!" Lisa and Yukina were now on their way home, with Yukina trying her best to comfort Lisa. "Oh god, you need to find a new bassist."

"Lisa, I rather disband Roselia than to lose you as our bassist. Besides, Hina didn't exactly tell you whether Sayo's into girls or not."

"She did!"

"No, she just said 'what if'. She's being vague, plus she tried to intimidate you despite knowing your personality. If I were to guess, Sayo's gay but she's still in the closet." Yukina pointed out, hoping that it would bring about some comfort to Lisa. Lisa sniffled, seemingly considering Yukina's explanation. "Well, now all you have to do is to confess to Sayo."

" _What_?! Yukina! That's impossible! This is Sayo we're talking about! I have a mini crush on the one girl who has even lesser of a life than you!" Lisa exclaimed, listing reasons why would Sayo not accept her confession. "First of all, her sole focus apart from studies is Roselia! Dating me would be like, detrimental to her practice! Second of all, we're polar opposites in terms of personality! No way would she want to hang out with someone like me!"

"You say that, but she agreed to watch movies with you at a cinema and hang out at a dog cafe. Which may I remind you that they were both  _one-on-one_?"

"She likes dogs! Anyways third of all, there's no way in hell she would want to date a rule breaker like me! She's in the disciplinary committee for god's sake!"

"Lisa, how would you know that she doesn't feel the same way if you don't tell her?" Yukina asked, deciding that she should be the best friend and improve Lisa's confidence and not constantly rely on Lisa for her own personal issues. "First of all, no matter how much of a bi-"

"Yukina, language!"

"... No matter how Sayo may seem on the outside, we know that she's capable of being... nice? Yes, that's the word." Yukina started, trying her best to improve Lisa's confidence so that Lisa wouldn't have to cry into her pillow like what she declared as soon as they left Haneoka. "Second of all, you're considerate, caring and mature. Those are qualities Sayo would definitely value. Third of all, you're the other person who could possibly understand what she has to go through as a string player. That's a connection that only you two members in Roselia share."

"Ehhh... But I think-"

"No buts Lisa. I won't push you to confess the next time you see her, but I sincerely think that it would be better for you to get it off your chest." Lisa nodded, Yukina had a point even though she was emotionally distant at times. They soon arrived at Lisa's house, which marked the end of their conversation. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night Lisa."

"Night Yukina." Yukina made her way back to her own house, leaving Lisa alone to contemplate her next move. There were a few options, the first option was to simply never confess to Sayo out of fear of receiving a rejection similar to her first love's. The second option, which Lisa felt that it was the worst option, was to confess to Sayo after one of their practice sessions even though a cruel rejection was waiting for her. The last option, which in Lisa's opinion was the best option, was to wait it out and hope that Yukina would have an uncharacteristic outburst about how Lisa was taking too long to confess during one of their practices and hear Sayo's rejection in front of the rest. Steeling her resolve, she entered her house, hoping that the third option would happen soon.

* * *

_"Imai-san, are you saying that you like me in a romantic sense?" Sayo asked, crossing her arms as Lisa nodded nervously. "Do you seriously think that I would agree to date you?!"_

_"W-Well, no but..." Lisa replied, her voice starting to shake as Sayo glared back at her, her following words caught in her throat as she became immobilised with fear. Fear of hearing the cruel words of rejection once again._

_"You're someone that I would never date even if you were the last person on this planet! Besides, are you even serious about Roselia?! Your actions clearly tell me that you aren't!"_

_"S-Sayo, I-"_

_"Get away from me." With that, Sayo pushed Lisa aside in the same manner as Emi, storming off while Lisa stood rooted to the ground. Even though Lisa knew that her love could never bear fruit, she still shed tears for yet another girl that wouldn't love her back._

_"Damn it, I knew this would happen... yet..." Lisa could only sob, a faint voice calling out to her from a source she couldn't locate. "I-Is someone there?!"_

_"... wake up!"_

"Gah!" Lisa threw herself up from her bed, hitting something hard in the process. The impact sent her reeling back into the soft embrace of her warm bed, which was accompanied by a faint groaning noise on the floor. "Owwww..."

"Nngh... Lisa, are you okay?" The source of the groans came from Yukina, who was still rubbing her forehead from the impact. Lisa was shocked to see Yukina in her bedroom on a weekday morning, which meant that... "Lisa, we're running late."

"Damn it. How did you get in anyways?" Lisa asked, furiously undressing herself in front of Yukina while scrambling to locate her uniform. She hastily put on her skirt and buttoned up her shirt, never mind that the buttons were done wrongly. "How long did you wait for me?"

"20 minutes. Lisa, are you alright? You've been waking up even later for the past week." Yukina asked, worried for Lisa's well-being. Lisa grunted in response, trying her best to brush her wild hair. "Lisa, your hair looks fine. Let's go, and also you might want to place your spare key somewhere else."

"That explained how you entered... okay you're right, let's go!" Lisa agreed, rushing down the stairs while Yukina followed behind, with Lisa's bag and tie in her hands. They managed to enter the school before they were marked down as late, with Yukina shoving the bag and tie to Lisa once they arrived at 2-A's classroom. "Thanks Yukina!"

"... Have a nice day." Yukina muttered, heading towards her classroom. Lisa chuckled, entering her own classroom where most of her class were already seated in their respective seats. As she entered the classroom, she had expected Hina to greet her cheerfully but was instead met with silence on Hina's end.

 _'... Is Hina still mad at me for what I asked about Sayo last week?'_ Lisa thought to herself, deciding to take the initiative and be the first one the greet Hina. "Hina, morning!"

"Ah Im- Lisachi, it's rare of you to be late." Hina replied, her tone a lot more serious than usual. Lisa blinked, was Hina trying to set some distance between her?

"Ahaha yeah, had a bad dream." Lisa shrugged, hoping that it was vague enough to conceal details but clear enough for Hina to get a vivid picture to her current mood. Unfortunately for her, Hina prodded Lisa's comment by showing concern of her own.

"A bad dream? What was it about?"

 _'Oh I don't know, me going with the second option and facing another rejection from your own sister?'_ Lisa chuckled, there was  _no way_  she would tell Hina that Sayo was the source her almost-tardiness. "No idea, I think it was pretty bad but the details are foggy y'know?"

"Ah. Well, I could make some aroma oils for you. Lavender is a great option." Hina offered, surprising Lisa with her lack of energy. Hina had noticed Lisa's reaction, which prompted her to ask about the surprised look on Lisa's face. "... Are you alright? You don't look we- uh, boppin'."

"No uh... I was just... wondering? Yeah, wondering about... Maya? I-I heard she um... you know..." Lisa was flustered, she really didn't want to bring up last week's topic again so soon, but she wanted Hina to know that she's gay. Future Lisa can face the backlash later. "And uh, I mean since she came out... how is your band dealing with it?"

"Uh... well Ya- Maya-chan has her fair share of supporters and haters, and we haven't told the agency yet so uh... yeah. M-Maya-chan's taking it well though, she's pretty boppin' as of late ya know?" Lisa nodded, unable to place her finger on what was wrong with Hina that day. "W-Why do you ask?"

"I-I mean uh... remember last week I kinda asked you about Sayo?" Hina flinched, a clear sign to Lisa that the guitarist remembered. "I-I probably should have told you this then... but um... I..."

"You?"

"I-I swing the same way as Maya..." Hina said nothing, though the glimmer in her eyes indicated a positive response from her. Lisa drummed her fingers on the table, cursing their homeroom teacher for being so late.  _'Why is it that the one time I want class to start early, the teacher's late? This is kinda like that shoujo manga Aya was talking about lately...'_

"H-Hahaha! I kinda figured out Lisachi~ I mean, with you acting shady then, I was like 'hmm Lisachi's gay or something'!" Hina grinned, hugging Lisa albeit stiffly. Lisa reciprocated the hug, wondering to herself why was Hina taller than her. She shrugged it off, it was probably her imagination or something. "So uh, since we're coming out, I might as well add that I swing that way too."

"Y-You do?" Lisa wasn't exactly surprised, but it was unexpected to find out that another person in her life was into girls.  _'Well, that explains the table throwing.'_

"So do I, my little kittens." They turned their attention to Kaoru, who was miraculously radiating sparkles from her lanky body. "Accepting your inner demons and claiming them as your own... as the great bard said-"

"Everyone, I'm sorry that I'm late!" Lisa's homeroom teacher burst into the classroom, her hair in a mess as she barely avoided the teacher's table. "L-Let's take attendance!"

* * *

"Yeah, and Kaoru was like 'so do I'. I mean, I kinda feel a bit better coming out to them but..." Lisa and Yukina were outside CiRCLE, and Lisa decided to tell Yukina about what had happened before homeroom formally started as they wait for their allocated time to use the studio. Yukina nodded at Lisa's words, slightly smiling upon seeing the relieved grin on Lisa's face. "... You know what Yukina? I think I'll do it. I'll tell Sayo how I feel about her, and I'll be mature when she rejects me!"

"Lisa, what makes you think that she'll surely reject you?" Yukina sighed, while it was good to prepare for the worst, Lisa wasn't just preparing for the worst, she was embracing it.

"Well... I thought about it in class, and I think Sayo wouldn't like me romantically since we have opposite personalities? I mean, I know opposites attract and all that, but think about it Yukina. Let's say I asked you out and we start dating, do you think we'll have a future together?"

"Considering that we've been best friends even though my personality's almost a carbon copy of Sayo's, I would say yes." Yukina shrugged, Lisa wasn't the first person to ask about their friendship. Hell, even Hina had once approached her to ask how did she remain on good terms with Lisa despite the drastic difference in personalities.  _'Is it that unnatural for someone like me to be best friends with someone like Lisa...?'_

"You think so? Oh yeah, one more thing. Hina was acting weird while waiting for homeroom to start, did Maya say anything?"

"Yamato-san? Apart from her telling that bitch to stop harassing her, she didn't say anything else. Anyways, we don't usually interact." Lisa sighed, ever since Emi's rejection, Yukina had been a lot more open with swearing. Well, at least she wasn't using it in daily conversation. "... When did you realise that you might like Sayo?"

"Hm? What brought this on?"

"Well... I know you've been haunted by that homophobic slut for almost a year, but... I can't really explain it well, but at one point you seemed to be talking about Sayo more often. You even go out of your way to create opportunities to spend more alone time with Sayo." Lisa wasn't sure how to answer Yukina's question, she had never questioned it until Yukina asked. It all seemed natural to her, rejection haunting her or not.

"Well... I don't know really. It all seems... natural, like they all click in place. Maybe I was unconsciously trying to move on from Emi, and Sayo was someone that appealed to me?"

"She's a gyaru though, the homophobic slut with a bitchy attitude I mean."

"Uh... Then I got nothing. A-Anyways, forget about me! What about you Yukina? Do you have anyone that you like?" Lisa asked, a hand suddenly placed on her shoulder. "Kyaaaaaaa!"

"I-Imai-san! It's just me!" Lisa turned around, meeting Sayo's frown. Though this time, it seemed to have softened as compared to her usual frowns during practice. "... Was it that scary?"

"N-Not really, just... surprising." Lisa replied, her cheeks starting to grow hotter with each passing second. When did she start blushing just from physical contact with Sayo? She glanced at Yukina, who was trying her best to remain stoic instead of smiling at Lisa's interaction with Sayo.  _'Yukina, don't just sit there! Help me!'_

"A-Anyways..." Sayo gave Lisa's shoulder a small squeeze, and if Lisa was being honest, it felt comforting unlike what Hina had described a certain incident when she messed up Sayo's room. "I'm glad it's nothing."

"Lisa, I'll be entering first. Take this time to... well, bond I guess? Yes, that. It would improve our unity as Roselia." Yukina said, obviously excusing herself from the conversation and obviously trying to get Lisa to work up the courage to confess.  _'You can do it Lisa.'_

"So uh... I heard from Hina that you support gay rights." Lisa raised both eyebrows, surprised that Sayo initiated a conversation. Usually it was the other way around.

"A-Ahaha... Yeah uh, I do." Lisa wasn't sure what she should say then, but it looked like they had a nice mood going judging from the lack of Sayo's default expression.  _'Is this a good time to confess? Oh my god, what am I supposed to do?! Yukina, come back!"_

"I-" Before Sayo could say any further, an excited voice called out to them from a distance. "Fuck."

 _'Did Sayo just swear?! Wait, it's just Ako and Rinko though? Why did she even swear then?'_ Ako and Rinko made their way towards them, oblivious to Sayo's glaring.  _'Welp, RIP Ako and Rinko. May their bodies be buried together and all that.'_

"Lisa-nee! Rinrin helped me come up with this totally awesome phrase! Do you wanna hear it?" Ako asked, her red eyes sparkling with excitement while Rinko blushed. Lisa nodded while Sayo continued to glare at Ako, worrying the bassist that Sayo might try to do something bad towards Ako. Well, not like she  _actually_ would but...

 _'I wonder what was Sayo about to say anyways...?'_ Lisa thought to herself, glancing briefly at Sayo, who now had a menacing aura surrounding her.  _'Ack, at this rate Sayo might actually kill Ako!'_

* * *

"Ahhhhh I didn't confess to Sayo today!" Lisa groaned, messing up her brown hair in frustration. The one time that she decided to go for it, she chickened out (well in reality it was Ako who interrupted them but Lisa couldn't bear to blame her) and now there she was, lying on her bed as she mentally beat herself up for not going through with the confession.  _'Oh god, at this rate I'm probably gonna see Sayo date someone else and act like those depressed shoujo MCs in Aya's shoujo manga.'_

"Lisa? Could you open up the window?" Lisa blinked, was Yukina seriously trying to jump over to her bedroom  _again_? The last time Yukina attempted such a feat, she broke both her legs. Lisa shuddered at that memory, but nonetheless complied with Yukina's request.

"Okay, it's unlocked! But Yukina, didn't you break your legs the las- oof!" Lisa was suddenly tackled to the ground, teal hair spilling all over her. "Teal...? Wait, Hina?!"

"Do you really have such little faith in me, or is Hina the first person that comes into mind whenever it's something crazy?" Lisa blinked, her olive eyes meeting sharp emerald ones. A soft smile appeared on the girl's face, sending Lisa's heart in a frenzy. She got off Lisa, offering a hand to the bassist. "Here."

"T-Thanks Sayo..." Lisa mumbled, accepting the hands she got up from the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yukina giving her a thumbs-up from her own house.  _'Yukinaaaaaa! This is too much even for you!'_

"So... I should explain why am I even here at 11 pm?"

"Yeah, and lemme just apologise on Yukina's behalf for making you pull of such a dangerous stunt."

"It's alright, Minato-san and Hina were in it together." Sayo shrugged, startling Lisa with such a revelation. Lisa certainly did  _not_  expect Yukina to work together with Hina and- actually, what did Hina had to do with Lisa's crush? "Anyways, Hina said that you needed a push given that you're... how did she phrase it? I think she said something along the lines of 'useless lesbian'."

"S-She told you that I'm gay?!" Lisa was horrified despite knowing that Sayo was okay with people like her. It was more of a 'I took your candy and shared it with everyone but you' moment to Lisa, which Sayo was understandably confused at Lisa's reaction.  _'Hina, just because I came out doesn't mean that I'm ready to tell Sayo!'_

"Well... no. You came out to me yourself during homeroom."

 _'Huh? Homeroom? We don't even attend the same schools...'_ Lisa thought to herself, suddenly remembering Hina's uncharacteristic seriousness while waiting for their homeroom teacher to arrive. "... Oh my god, you two switched identities."

"... I assure you it was out of concern for your well-being that I decided to be Hina for the day. Ten out of ten won't ever do that again." Sayo replied, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Y-You were acting strange as of late, and I was worried that something happened to you in school so..."

"... Oh my god, you told me that you're into girls too."

"That's right."

"... Oh my god, so  _that's_ what Hina meant by telling me good luck last week!" Lisa exclaimed, everything clicking into place.  _'Hina was telling me that Sayo's into girls too! Wait, is that really something to wish good luck to though? Oh my god, is this the time for me to confess?! Gaaaaah Hina's right in saying that I'm a useless lesbian!'_

"Just what exactly did you ask Hina anyways?" Sayo asked, snapping Lisa out of her mental screaming. Lisa gulped, steeling herself as she prepared to confess to Sayo. "... Imai-san?"

"S-Sayo! I-I... I like you! Romantically! W-Will you be my girlfriend?!" Lisa sputtered, cursing herself at being so ineloquent whenever it came to Sayo. Sayo raised both eyebrows, clearly shocked at Lisa's confession.  _'Oh boy, here we go, the big rejection.'_

"I... I don't understand. I'm always so harsh to you during practice, and I'm too serious to enjoy life properly. Why would you ever want to go out with a no-nonsense person like me when you could have someone better?" Well, that wasn't how Lisa expected Sayo's rejection to go. She expected a straightforward no instead of Sayo listing reasons why should Lisa not date her. "I-I honestly don't get it Imai-san. Why  _me_?"

"Well, why not? You stand by your views, you always keep everyone in check, not to mention that you look cute whenever you're surrounded by dogs. Believe it or not, I do like you when you're serious. Isn't that how you are most of the time?" Lisa asked, reaching out to loosely hold a few locks of Sayo's hair. "Why aren't you yelling at me to give up on you? Aren't I detrimental to your performance?"

"Imai-san..." Sayo mumbled, bringing Lisa into an awkward hug. Lisa's face turned redder than it had ever been, unable to process that Sayo was hugging her. "... It pains me to hear that you think so lowly of yourself."

"S-Sayo..." Lisa couldn't help it but to cry in Sayo's embrace, the latter remaining silent throughout. Once Lisa stopped crying, Sayo offered her a handkerchief to dry her tears with. "T-Thanks."

"... It's alright to be interested in people of the same sex." Sayo assured, making her way to Lisa's bed and taking a seat on it. She patted on a spot beside her, indirectly asking Lisa to sit beside her. Lisa nodded, taking a seat beside Sayo on her bed. "... You know, I once thought that it wasn't okay to like girls."

"You did?"

"How should I put it... I once drew a picture of me holding hands with a girl I liked from my class. It went pretty badly." Sayo sighed, reaching out for Lisa's hand and squeezing it. "It made me think that I'm abnormal and I should hide who I like. When I first started middle school, I thought to myself 'hey maybe if you surround yourself among girls, you'll see that girls aren't who you're supposed to fall for'."

"So... why now?" It was a reasonable question, why come out if you're so desperate to convince yourself that you're not? Sayo shook her head wryly, a faraway look in her eyes. Lisa leant on Sayo, placing her head on the taller girl's shoulder.

"I guess hearing from Hina about Yamato-san coming out made me reconsider staying the closet. She's an idol, yet she bravely came out to her class. I guess you could say that I was impressed by her."

"Oh, Yukina  _did_  mention that she punched someone..."

"Yeah, Hina said that she threw a table at Fujishiro-san." Sayo chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Is it bad that I actually crushed on her even though she was the reason why I locked myself in the closet for years?"

"Wait, you  _liked_  Emi?! When was this?!"

"Sixth grade. She was... well, I'm sure you know how homophobic she is."

"Hell, I wished I didn't have to learn that first-hand." Lisa chuckled deprecatingly, earning herself a worried look from Sayo. "Oh right, you didn't know. I confessed to Emi last year, it... haunted me for a while. The rejection I mean."

"Was that why you fell out with her?" Lisa nodded, getting herself hugged by Sayo a second afterwards. "I'm sorry to hear that Imai-san."

"No, I'm fine! Well, thanks to you at least." Lisa tried laughing off the heavy atmosphere her bedroom was starting to fill up with, but the pained look on Sayo's face as well as the dim lighting made Lisa cease her attempt to brush it off. "... Well, I have to move on right?"

"I suppose so. Though Fujishiro-san rejecting you cruelly..." Sayo scrunched up her face, thinking hard about something before returning to her usual expression.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked, her lips suddenly pressed against Sayo's. They parted immediately, with Sayo covering her flushed face with the back of her right hand while her left hand was still holding onto Lisa's right hand. "I... Sayo, does this mean you'll..."

"... Well, kissing is used as an expression of love. Am I wrong in assuming so?"

"Pffft! You don't have to be so awkward about it. I like that side of you though." Lisa grinned, gently prying Sayo's right hand away from her face. What she saw was Sayo's blushing cheeks and a look that indicated that she wanted to curl up in a nice warm blanket and die of embarrassment. Lisa felt satisfied, she liked seeing Sayo getting embarrassed the most. "... You're really cute."

"I-I...! I'm going back home!" Sayo exclaimed, inching away from Lisa as she headed towards the door. Lisa didn't want Sayo to leave, hence she tackled her to the floor. "Gah! I-Imai-san!"

"Sleep with me?" Lisa asked, though the pregnant pause after making that question made Lisa realise that Sayo had misunderstood what she meant to say. "N-No! I-I really mean sleeping with me! As in resting that kind of sleeping!"

"I-I-I know that!" Sayo replied hastily, squirming about under Lisa's weight. "... Imai-san, have you considered losing weight?"

"Hey!"

* * *

"There's something that Sayo and I wanna announce!" It was after Roselia's rehearsal, and the rest were starting to pack the instruments away. Lisa glanced at Sayo, who gave her a stiff nod in response. They had discussed about their relationship last night, and it was agreed on that they should at least inform the band about it. Yukina said nothing, though the slight smile on her face betrayed her true emotions. "We're... we're dating! And uh..."

"What Imai-san meant is that we won't let our relationship get in the way of practice." Sayo continued, giving Ako and Rinko meaningful looks. She also took this opportunity to loosely wrap an arm around Lisa's waist. The bassist blushed, she wasn't expecting Sayo to go public with her display of affection. Ako winked at Lisa, earning herself a glare from Sayo.

"What she said!" This time, Yukina gave them a brisk nod, approving of their relationship. Lisa was visibly relieved, even though Yukina had a part in getting them together. She then turned to Sayo, an unsure look on her face. "Uh... are we supposed to tell them anything else?"

"Only for them to treat rehearsals the same as usual." Ako booed at Sayo, shrinking back the moment the guitarist glared at her. Rinko then consoled the drummer, Lisa couldn't help chuckling at the sight. Yukina was shifting uncomfortably, though this went unnoticed by Lisa. "Minato-san, do you have something to add?"

"... I... may or may not be dating Hina." Lisa was at a loss for words, never did she once suspect that Yukina might be romantically interested in Hina. In fact, it had never crossed her mind that she saw Hina in any way except as Sayo's sister. Still, the way Yukina fidgeted as Sayo stared at her agape as well as the faint blush on her cheeks was solid proof that not only was Yukina capable of falling in love, she was able to do so with Hina. "... I figured that I should at least tell you both."

"Was that why Hina was very willing to drag me over to your house?! Also, what do you see in her?! She's nothing but insensitive!" Lisa gulped, hearing Sayo admonish Yukina for her partner made her remember a bet that she jokingly made with Moca at work. Sure, Moca had bet that Yukina and Hina would date at some point, but Lisa was positive that her coworker was just joking around back then. This was a development  _no one_  would ever expect. "Minato-san, your taste in girls is absolutely dreadful."

"I'm more concerned that I actually lost a bet to Moca over this." Yukina glared at her best friend, mildly disappointed that Lisa bet on her love life with Moca. "Okay look, we were just fooling around! I'm sure Moca would be shocked to hear that for once, she correctly bet on the right thing!"

"Heya~ Onee-chan, I brought an extra umbrella for you since it's raining now!" Roselia flinched in surprise, when did Hina arrive and how did they not notice her? In Hina's hands were two umbrellas, one of them was dry and the other wet from the rain. "Ehehe~ Are you inviting Lisachi over to our place? Because if you are, I can totally crash at Yuki-chan's place!"

"Since when did I allow you to come over Hina?" Yukina asked, folding her arms defensively across her chest. Hina simply grinned, her eyebrows bouncing up and down as she shot obvious glances at her sister and Lisa. "... Fine. Only because my parents aren't home and you can cook."

"Uh Minato-san? Hina can't actually-" Sayo protested, but the nod Yukina directed at Lisa made her withdraw her protest. At the very most, she would get food poisoning. "Very well then. Imai-san? Would you like to practice over at my house?"

"... I'm like, lowkey worried that Yukina will get sick from weird food... but on the other hand, I  _do_ need more practice..." It wasn't a real contest anyways, Lisa was definitely going to spend time practicing under Sayo's guidance. "Y'know what? Let's go."

"... D-Did we just get ignored?" Ako asked Rinko as the other four girls left the studio, leaving them to clean up. "How are we supposed to tidy up this place?"

"T-Think of it... as a quest...? I'll... be here to help..." Rinko suggested, a kind smile on her face as she started to clean up. Ako heaved a sigh of relief, making a mental note to ask the rest of Roselia to repay her.

_'I'm gonna get them to get me lots of demons born in boiling oil!'_


End file.
